A Lot of Winter Ahead

Bitter Cold

The first weather headline of the week will be dominated by the return of cold temperatures. Lows tonight into Monday morning will be in the low single digits with outlying areas dropping below zero. Wind chills of -10 to -15 here in central Ohio with numbers closer to -20 in western and northwestern Ohio. This has prompted WIND CHILL ADVISORIES for much of the state, with the exception of the lake counties in northern Ohio and the far southeast counties. A wind chill advisory means winds will combine with cold temperatures to produce dangerously cold wind chills. Frostbite and hypothermia can occur if proper precautions are not taken. Just use common sense in this weather and you will be fine. Highs on Monday will only recover to the low teens for most of the area and drop back to the middle single digits for Tuesday morning. We begin to moderate to closer to normal by Wednesday ahead of our next weather system.

Storm #1

The first system of the week will move in on Wednesday and last into very early Thursday morning. At this time it appears the axis of heaviest snow will remain to the south of central Ohio. The southwest corner has the best chance at light to moderate accumulations. A general inch or so seems likely at this point in the Columbus metro. I will continue to monitor that system to see if an adjust north or south occurs, as this would change the snowfall forecast. 

Storm #2

The second system has the potential to be much stronger than the first and consequently have much greater impacts on the region. The timing on this storm is far from set in stone, but the Friday and Saturday time frame is what I am highlighting at this point. The models will continue to go back and forth on a solution, but several runs have shown a trend for accumulating snow in the Ohio Valley and East Coast later this week. I will watch this storm closely over the course of the week with more updates to come, but I wanted to let you know ahead of time so you could keep an eye out for further updates. 

Stay warm and stay tuned for further updates! 

Winter is Finally Here

Sunday Snow

Rain will change over to snow as cold air moves in from the north and west. Temperatures will crash in the Columbus metro area between the hours of 9-11am Sunday morning. We will start in the mid to upper 40's and fall to the lower 30's by noon. Temperatures will continue to slowly fall throughout the day and winds will crank to near 40mph at times. This will lead to low wind chills, blowing snow and a possible rapid freeze. Roads could get quite rough from 10am-4pm on Sunday as road crews will have to work against heavy snow, falling temperatures and gusty winds. Thankfully, this is a Sunday afternoon and shouldn't be too much of an inconvenience. Snow totals around central Ohio should be a fairly widespread 1-2" and this will occur in a short amount of time. This will also be Port Columbus' first measurable snowfall this winter season. This is indeed a record for the latest ever first measurable snowfall.

Monday through Tuesday 

The biggest story of this period will likely be the big change in temperatures from where we have been this winter. Monday morning will be the coldest morning this season by far with wind chills in the single digits below zero. Highs on Monday will struggle to make it to the middle 20's as arctic air takes over. We will warm up to the upper 20's to low 30's on Tuesday ahead of another system. This is more of a clipper like storm and will bring an all snow even overnight Monday into the the first part of Tuesday. Snow totals aren't yet clear, but 1-3" locally 4" seem reasonable for now. These systems typically bring gusty winds and bitterly cold air. Temperatures will be in the single digits by Wednesday morning and the wind chills have the potential to be nearly 10 to 15 degrees below zero. This could warrant a wind chill headlines as we get closer to that event. 

*This map is for the Monday night into Tuesday event. Please ignore the incorrect date in the top left of the image.

Midweek and Beyond

The below normal temperatures will continue and chances for more snow will also be possible. There is a lot on the table right now and this winter could really turn around in a hurry. You cant say you weren't warned about the potential. ;) This winter is just getting started in my opinion. I still think February will be the main event for this season. 

Enjoy the winter weather and STAY SAFE!